Railroad tracks include two generally parallel rails that are attached to cross ties embedded in stone ballast using a variety of fasteners and methods. Each of the parallel rails comprises a number of individual rails that are attached together to form the entire length of the rail. Over time, the fasteners between the rails and/or the fasteners holding the rails to the cross ties can become loosened, damaged, missing, or the cross ties themselves can become rotten, cracked, or damaged, thereby requiring maintenance of the track. Identifying the specific locations on a railroad track that need maintenance is a round-the-clock job that requires large, heavy, machinery operated by experienced workers to replace or repair components.
One way to identify the locations needing maintenance is by using a gage restraint measurement system that has steel flanged wheels to apply loads to the rails and is pulled along the track by a full-size railroad car (i.e., a railbound train car that is only able to ride along a railroad track). The gage restraint measurement system applies an outward or lateral load to each of the rails through the flanged wheels while simultaneously applying a vertical load, the lateral load urging the rails away from each other, the vertical force keeping the gage restraint system wheel flanges from overriding the rail heads. If the fasteners holding one or both of the rails in a particular location were loosened, missing, and/or damaged, or the cross ties have lost integrity, the rails could move laterally, thereby increasing the gage of the rails. By gage of the rails it is meant the distance between the inside surface of the two parallel rails (e.g., measured 16 millimeters below the top surface of the rails). It is this movement of the rails (e.g., the change in the gage) resulting from the lateral load applied by the gage restraint measurement system that is measured and analyzed to determine where the track requires maintenance.
Prior gage restraint measurement systems were mounted under a full-size railbound railroad car (i.e., a train car that is only able to ride along a railroad track) by replacing one of the railroad car running axles with a specially designed axle capable of applying the gage restraint measurement system loads to the rails. Later gage restraint measurement systems were mounted under a full-size railbound railroad car in a deployable fashion such that a measurement axle assembly of the gage restraint measurement system was able to be lifted and lowered relative to the track such that when the gage restraint measurement system was not in use, the measurement axle assembly would be lifted off the rails and not be worn unnecessarily (e.g., reducing wear and tear, etc.).
However, some of these deployable gage restraint measurement systems were attached to the underside of a full-size railroad cars via a cross member and attached to the cross member were two laterally spaced very large and heavy trunnions. The trunnions were necessary such that the gage restraint measurement system could tilt relative to the underside of the railroad car to accommodate cross level in the track (e.g., height difference of the two generally parallel rails) and vehicle body movement on its suspension. Extending from each of the trunnions was a support frame. Attached to each of the support frames was a pair of linkages, which included an upper swing arm and a lower swing arm. The upper and lower swing arms were both attached at one of their ends to a respective one of the support frames and at the other of their ends to a respective end of the measurement axle assembly.
While these prior gage restraint measurement systems were able to deploy the measurement axle when needed, these prior gage restraint measurement systems required many very large and heavy components to do so (e.g., two trunnions, two pairs of upper and lower swing arms, etc.). As such, these prior gage restraint measurement systems needed to be mounted on very large vehicles, such as, for example, a full-size railbound railroad car. Further, in part due to the extreme weight of the these prior gage restraint measurement systems, the prior gage restraint measurement systems needed to be deployed (e.g. lowered into place prior to use) on a level track with no cross level because the cross level of the track would cause the gage restraint measurement system to swing to the lower side of the track during deployment, which could damage the gage restraint measurement system and/or cause the measurement axle to be misaligned with the track once deployed.
Thus, a need exists for relatively lighter deployable gage restraint measurement systems (e.g., by having relatively smaller and fewer mechanical parts) such that the gage restraint measurement systems can be deployed from lighter weight vehicles and vehicles with less available space (e.g., a hi-rail vehicle that can also be driven on standard roads to the rail test location or smaller railbound vehicles). There is also a need for gage restraint measurement systems that can be deployed on tracks with some cross level. The present disclosure is directed to solving these problems and addressing other needs.